April 14, 2006

Scary Movie 4

I had a little time on my hands this afternoon so I went to the movies.

Now, to set the record straight, I really can't remember the last time I went to a movie during the day. I usually tend to go to the last showing at night and during the week. There are less people in the theater at that time, and it allows me to watch the movie with little distraction. Yeah, I know. I'm a bit of a curmudgeon when it comes to going to the movies I guess.

But where did all these kids come from? Is it still Spring Break? I mean, I was at a noon showing and the theater was packed with kids. Well, enough of that.

I went to see Scary Movie 4. I didn't expect much, and well, I got what I expected. But two things stood out for me.

One; Leslie Nielson (who isn't in the movie all that much) is just a terrific actor who can deliver a line better than just about anyone. At 80 there doesn't seem to be any slowing down for him, and I, for one, and happy about that. And while it can be said that every movie he's appeared in hasn't always been great, he's rarely bad in any role.

Two; Craig Bierko stars in the fourth installment of the Scary Movie franchise.

I was going to feature him in one of my Why Aren't They Stars posts, and in fact, this might turn into that. The thing about Craig is that he has the makings of a star. He's great looking, he's 6'4" (which has nothing to do with being a star, but I was impressed by that so thought I'd mention it) and he's a good actor.

Most of his work has been in television with some outings to features and even a Tony nominated run as the music man in the Broadway revival of The Music Man.

While he has an impressive resume, most people don't know who he is. Arguably his biggest role came in 2005's Cinderella Man starring as Russell Crowe's opponent Max Baer. The problem, of course, was that not a whole lot of people saw that movie. The studio did what it could to re-release it, but it just didn't do as well as everyone had hoped.

There was also a little bit of animosity between the two as Bierko made comments that even though he worked along side Crowe for a month, he never really got to know him. Crowe shot back by criticizing Bierko's acting ability and the whole thing devolved into something that certainly didn't make people rush to the theaters to see the movie.

Craig Bierko can act, that's for sure, although you shouldn't judge his, or anyone's ability, by Scary Movie 4, but he can act.

I hope he can land a project or two that will finally give him some exposure and recognition. I think he deserves it.

Comments

Bierko was great in Cinderella Man. I'm bummed that no one saw that movie. The first time I remember seeing Bierko in something and thinking "who was THAT?" was when he was on Sex and the City.

I like calling him just his last name Bierko. It's such a kinda odd name, but the more you type it (Bierko) and especially if you say it out loud every time you (Bierko) type it, it just gets odder (Bierko) and odder (Bierko).